Article by
Barbados Today

Published on
August 14, 2013

BLP team headed to Parliament today.
Opposition Leader, Mia Mottley, has warned Barbadians that temporary workers in the public service were now living in fear.
Mottley levelled this charge at the ruling Democratic Labour Party today while responding to the presentation made by Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Chris Sinckler yesterday.
“There are people in the public service running around reminding workers that they have been arriving at work late. These workers feel that they are being set up for disciplinary action. There is one worker who has expressed fear having been employed in the public service for the past 17 years,” Mottley warned.
“There are people in the public service running around reminding workers that they have been arriving at work late. These workers feel that they are being set up for disciplinary action. There is one worker who has expressed fear having been employed in the public service for the past 17 years,” Mottley warned.
She warned the Government that the Barbados Labour Party would not sit idly by if people were not laid off on the basis of “last in first out”.
Earlier, in questioning the accuracy of Sinckler’s assurances, Mottley reminded Barbadians that Sinckler had given the Chamber of Commerce the assurance that he would deal with arrears owed to business houses.
She also reminded the House of Assembly that Sinckler had given investors and policyholders of CLICO that he would address their concerns, but so far no action has been taken.
Mottley identified many loans that had been negotiated by this Government and the Barbados Labour Party government many years ago, but which were still to be fully accessed.
The Opposition Leader maintained that there was no economic solution to the country’s problems only a political solution can save the country, noting that during the period 2008-2013 the Democratic Labour Party had run a deficit on its current account, thereby bringing the country to the edge.
Citing a speech made by former leader of the DLP Errol Barrow in which he said that you should not borrow to buy bread and which became part of his philosophy that you should not borrow money to pay salaries.
Mottley pointed out that the current Administration has engaged in the repudiation of most of what Barrow subscribed to and contended that the Government was following a reckless path.
She explained that while the Government was collecting $2.3 billion, its expenditure was $3.81 billion, leading to a deficit of $1.3 billion.
“It is a calamity in truth. Government’s revenue was over-estimated, while expenditure was underestimated,” Mottley argued.
Citing statistics to bear out her argument that the accuracy of Sinckler’s predictions cannot be trusted, she noted that on one occasion he had stated that he had anticipated raising $374 million, but had raised US $250 million.
Highlighting the incompetence of the current administration, Mottley pointed out that last year Sinckler had given the assurance that he would be accessing $47.4 million, but got only $9.8 million.
Mottley disclosed that out of a US $40 million Housing and Neighbourhood loan negotiated by the BLP, which sought to upgrade areas like Cat’s Castle in Bridgetown, $26.3 million had not been disbursed.
She pointed out that out of a $53 million Water and Sanitation Loan negotiated in 2009, $42 million was yet to be used by the current administration.
Further highlighting what she terms government’s incompetence, Mottley said that major financial institutions were only investing in short term instruments and explained why Government had recently increased its level of borrowing from the Central Bank.
Mottley noted that while Grenada can export its agricultural products to the European Union, Barbados was unable to do so because 70 per cent of a US $28 loan remained undisbursed. (NC)